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90. The Last Visit to Nazareth. The Second
Rejection b
(Mt 13:54-58, Mk 6:1-6a) |
[Mt 13:54-58]
c
54Coming into his own country, he taught
them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did
this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55Isn’t this
the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James,
Joses, Simon, and Judas?
56Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get
all of these things?” 57They were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them, “A
prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own
house.” d 58He
didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
13:55
or, Judah |
Mk 6:1-6a
1He went out from
there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2When
the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing
him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and,
“What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come
about by his hands? 3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with
us?” They were offended at him.
4Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor, except in his own
country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5He
could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick
people, and healed them. 6He marveled because of their unbelief.
He went around the villages teaching.
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91. Jesus Preaches in the Villages of Galilee
(Mt 9:35, Mk 6:6b) |
Mt 9:35
35Jesus
went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and
every sickness among the people. |
Mk 6:6b
6He marveled because of their unbelief.
He went around the villages teaching.
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92. "Pray Ye Therefore the Lord of the Harvest"
e
(Mt 9:36-38) |
Mt 9:36-38
36But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed
and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to
his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful,
but the laborers are few. 38Pray
therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his
harvest.”
9:36
TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed” |
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93. The Mission of the Twelve
(Mt 10:1-42, Mk 6:7-11, Lk 9:1-5) |
i. The Twelve Empowered |
Mt 10:1-4
1He called to
himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these.
f The first, Simon, who is called
Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother;
3Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector;
James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, whose surname was
Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who also
betrayed him.
10:3
NU omits “Lebbaeus, whose surname was” |
Mk 6:7
7He
called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and
he gave them authority over the unclean spirits. |
Lk 9:1
1He
called the twelve
together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure
diseases.
9:1
TR reads “his twelve disciples” instead of “the twelve” |
ii. Their Instructions |
Mt 10:5-15
5Jesus sent these twelve out, and
commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the
Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. 6Rather,
go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As
you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’
8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give. 9Don’t
take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts. 10Take
no bag for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for
the laborer is worthy of his food. 11Into
whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and
stay there until you go on. 12As
you enter into the household, greet it. 13If
the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t
worthy, let your peace return to you. 14Whoever
doesn’t receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or
that city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15Most
certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
10:8
TR adds “, raise the dead” |
Mk 6:8-11
8He commanded them that they should take
nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no
money in their purse, 9but to wear sandals, and not put on
two tunics. 10He said to them,
“Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from
there. 11Whoever will not
receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust
that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell
you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of
judgment than for that city!” |
Lk 9:2-5
2He sent them
forth to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3He
said to them, “Take nothing for your
journey—neither staffs, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have
two coats apiece. 4Into
whatever house you enter, stay there, and depart from there.
5As many as don’t receive you, when
you depart from that city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a
testimony against them.” |
iii. Persecutions Predicted |
Mt 10:16-23
g
16“Behold, I
send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves. 17But
beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their
synagogues they will scourge you. 18Yes,
and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a
testimony to them and to the nations. 19But
when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for
it will be given you in that hour what you will say. 20For
it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in
you.
21“Brother will
deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will
rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22You will be hated by all men for my
name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. 23But
when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most
certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of
Israel, until the Son of Man has come. |
iv. Encouragement Offered |
Mt 10:24-31
h
24“A disciple
is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. 25It
is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant
like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household! 26Therefore
don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be
revealed; and hidden that will not be known. 27What
I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear
whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. 28Don’t
be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.
Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
29“Aren’t
two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?
Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will,
30but
the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Therefore
don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
10:28
or, Hell.
10:29
An assarion is a small coin worth one tenth of a drachma or a sixteenth
of a denarius (approximately the wages of one half hour of agricultural
labor). |
v. Loyalty Demanded |
Mt 10:32-39
i
32Everyone
therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my
Father who is in heaven. 33But
whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who
is in heaven.
34“Don’t
think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send
peace, but a sword. 35For
I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against
her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36A
man’s foes will be those of his own household.
37He
who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who
loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.
38He
who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.
39He
who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake
will find it.
10:36
Micah 7:6 |
vi. The Proper Attitude To The Ministers Of Christ |
Mt 10:40-42
40He who
receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent
me. j 41He
who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s
reward: and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous
man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42Whoever
gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the
name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his
reward.” |
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94. Jesus and the Disciples Preaching and
Healing
(Mt 11:1, Mk 6:12-13, Lk 9:6) |
Mt 11:1
1It
happened that when Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he
departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
k |
Mk 6:12-13
12They
went out and preached that people should repent. 13They cast out
many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.
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Lk 9:6
6They
departed, and went throughout the villages, preaching the Good News, and
healing everywhere. |
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Footnotes
a) The time is fixed by the death of John the
Baptist, shortly before Passover, 29 A.D.
b) For first rejection see
No. 52. Luke 4:16-30.
c) Transposed. In the order of events we
follow Mark as compared with Luke. Matthew relates this visit immediately
after the parables. But chronologically the departure in Matt. 13:53
(following No. 82) was not to Nazareth, but across the sea to Gergesa. Mark
4:35. We must therefore place the events of the Gadarene journey between
Matt.13:53 and 54. This brings us to the last visit of Jesus to Nazareth.
And taking up the broken thread in Matt. 9:35, we have now returned to the
synoptic order.
d) Compare Luke 4:24 (No.
52), A repetition of John 4:44 (No. 45) with a changed reference and in a
different connection.
e) The saying is repeated in
connection with the sending out of the Seventy, Luke 10:2 (No. 145).
f) Mark and Luke have already given their
names. See No. 71.
g) The Lord repeated His
sayings. Compare Luke 10:2-12; 12:2-9; 21:12-19; Mark 13:9.13. Nos. 145,
155, 236.
h) Compare Luke 12:2.9. No.
155. John 13:16. No. 250.
i) Compare Luke 12:8-9. No. 155.
j) See John 13:20. No. 250. Mark 9:37; Luke
9:48. No. 125.
k) Here follows in the order of Matthew:
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Matthew |
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No. 75. The message from John the Baptist. |
11: 2-19 |
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No. 76. Woes upon the cities of opportunity. |
20-30 |
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No. 67. The disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath.
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12: 1-8 |
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No. 68. The man with a withered hand. |
9-14 |
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No. 69. Jesus teaches and heals by the sea. |
15-21 |
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No. 79. Jesus defends Himself against a blasphemous
accusation. |
22-37 |
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No. 80. The scribes and Pharisees demand a sign. |
38-45 |
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No. 81. Jesus is called by His mother and
brethren. |
46-50 |
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No. 82. The parables by the sea. |
13: 1-53 |
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No. 90. The last visit to Nazareth. |
54-58 |
With the exception of a few details the
account of the death of John the Baptist marks the end of the
transpositions. Hence forth, to the end of the combined account, the
fourfold Gospel unfolds itself in a truly remarkable parallel account. |
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